Jailing people will help keep Accra clean – Rawlings

Former President Rawlings has been appointed an ambassador for sanitation

Former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings, says the only way to curtail the increasing filth in the nation’s capital is to resort to a radical approach.

Addressing some celebrants of the Asafotufiam Festival at Ada in the Greater Accra region, the former President said if given the chance, he would arrest and jail at least three persons a week for sanitation related offences until Accra’s sanitation situation improved to serve as deterrent.

“You are lucky the position given to me is just a ceremonial one. If I was acting in the actual capacity, I would jail about three to five people a week till Accra becomes clean again.”

“It is disheartening and very unpleasant. Those who collect rubbish come to dump them at the roadside. Let’s be a little more patriotic by arresting these persons and teach them a lesson.”

The former head of state’s remarks followed an award by the Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in acknowledgement of his strong campaign for a clean environment.

He was presented with a plaque as he accepted to be the ambassador for a revamped sanitation campaign being spearheaded by the AMA.

Mr Rawlings described Ghana as being a sick State and emphasized the need for better sanitation to the benefit of all.

He also noted that Typhoid, hepatitis B, and cholera are predominant in Ghana because of the ill attitude towards sanitation and as such if we all don’t join hands to rebuild Ghana we will have ourselves to blame.

In a related development, the Nana Addo led administration has borrowed an amount of $48M to help fulfil his promise of making Ghana’s capital the cleanest city in Africa.

The amount was approved by Parliament on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, and the money is expected to be used for the Greater Accra Sustainable Sanitation and Livelihoods Improvement Project.